197. Elder Brother Jin-ho's Spring (1)
The next day, I headed to the imperial palace.
Someone who wanted to meet me worked there, and besides, I had to submit documents for the silk delivery anyway.
After handing over the documents to the eunuch, I made my way to the garden where I'd gone with Elder Brother Seon-il before.
As I strolled through the garden, admiring the scenery, a voice called out to me.
"Young Master Eun Seo-ho."
I turned to see a man in official robes approaching.
A somewhat familiar face.
It was Ji-hyeon, the one who'd written the report on the Hwariseon branch incident.
The emperor had recognized his talent the moment he saw the report I'd submitted.
His name was Gun-seong, I recalled.
"It's been a while."
"Indeed it has."
We exchanged brief greetings.
"You said you wanted to see me?"
"That's right."
A gentle smile played on his face.
"I wanted to express my gratitude for your help in my promotion to the capital."
As expected…
The emperor's decisiveness was downright frightening.
How long had it even been? And he'd already summoned him to court.
"I hear working at the palace is grueling. Are you managing alright?"
I asked casually, since he'd come to the palace partly because of the report I'd submitted.
Fortunately, he laughed heartily in response.
"I was prepared for this. Compared to the workload at Ji-hyeon, this is nothing short of a joke, wouldn't you say?"
"Hahaha, i-is that so?"
Well, as long as he's happy.
Word was, the position he'd taken up in the palace was as a gyeongryeok clerk in the Tongjeongsa office, handling memorials and edicts.
It suited him perfectly, given his experience with records.
A mid-sixth rank post—higher than the seventh-rank Inspector General—but perhaps due to the special nature of that role, he still spoke to me deferentially.
"I heard you participated in the imperial silk delivery contest this time. Was it on that lord's orders, by any chance?"
He meant, was it part of my duties as Inspector General.
Of course not, but even if I denied it, he wouldn't believe me.
So I just smiled.
"…I see."
We chatted a bit more, promised to meet again, and parted ways.
Both of us had carved time out of busy schedules, after all.
As evening fell, I headed to a teahouse near the palace.
The person who'd summoned me hadn't arrived yet, so I settled into a quiet third-floor room to savor some tea.
Just as I finished my cup, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in."
"We meet again."
The newcomer was none other than Scholar Hwang Bon-ji.
"I heard you've been selected as the imperial silk delivery merchant group. Congratulations."
"Thank you. I also heard you've returned to court."
"Yes, by His Majesty's grace, I've become the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."
"Oh, congratulations."
Deputy Minister of the Household—a senior third-rank position as second-in-command of one of the Six Ministries.
Makes sense, if the emperor remembered him; it spoke to his competence.
The Ministry of Revenue, huh…
Perfect timing to pass a message to His Majesty through Scholar Hwang—no, Lord Hwang.
"I have one request."
"Speak it. I owe you my son's life, so I'll do what I can."
"As a merchant, I travel all over the Central Plains. That's how I learned of it: a bumper crop nationwide."
"So I've heard. Everyone's thrilled about the ample tax revenue."
Yes, that's what everyone thought.
And that's why the great famine that followed hit even harder.
I recalled that grim memory and spoke carefully.
"That said… I fear severe famines will strike for the foreseeable future, starting next year."
"Pardon? A sudden famine?"
"Yes. The basis is a prophetic dream, so I hesitated to mention it."
"A prophetic dream?"
"Indeed."
A great famine would ravage the next five years, no doubt.
Even if things had changed because of me, the climate wouldn't.
The issue was the lack of evidence.
Who could've predicted such a disaster right after an unprecedented bumper harvest?
But His Majesty would find the proof he needed.
That's why I casually blamed it on a "prophetic dream."
And I had a convenient backstory to back it up.
"Truth be told, I was able to save your son thanks to a prophetic dream. I saw the scene in my sleep, so I boarded a ship myself and rescued everyone."
Lord Hwang's expression darkened.
As a Ministry of Revenue official tasked with collecting taxes to run the nation, a famine naturally worried him.
"What I'm asking is this: stockpile as much grain as possible after this harvest."
"But we can't collect more than the set tax quota."
"True. But the state can buy it up, can't it? With a bumper crop, prices are low—offer a bit above market rate, and everyone will sell."
This was the most practical solution.
We couldn't force the people not to waste grain.
Stockpiling nationally would at least prevent the starvation and refugees from my previous life.
"Expend the treasury if need be—gather as much as you can."
I phrased it this way, knowing it would reach the emperor's ears through Lord Hwang.
Unlike Lord Gun-seong, he held a high post.
Given the times, he couldn't have come without imperial permission.
His visit was surely on the emperor's orders.
His congratulations carried both his sincerity and the emperor's.
I hadn't mentioned the famine earlier because the timing wasn't right.
Only recently had I earned the emperor's trust; before, it'd have been overstepping.
Last year's harvest was average anyway—stockpiling would've been tough.
National finances are always tight.
But now, the emperor would listen.
He knew I didn't spout nonsense.
And with this bumper crop, the burden would be lighter.
Even though the moment had arrived, I avoided telling him directly because…
Facing the emperor wasn't great for my heart.
One slip, and it'd be, "You seem perfect for it—handle it," with shackles on my ankles.
One more thing to add.
"If famine hits later and things worsen, consider importing grain from abroad."
"Abroad?"
"Places like Dai Viet, or the plains beyond the northern sea."
Lord Hwang's face soured.
"Begging for food?"
"Are you joking? Begging out of nowhere? There's a far better way."
"…?"
I grinned.
"Import it legitimately through merchants, no?"
My first proposal benefited all; the second favored our Eunhae Merchant Group and the merchant world.
Hwang Bon-ji watched Eun Seo-ho's retreating figure.
No wonder His Majesty takes an interest.
He recalled yesterday, when the emperor had summoned him.
"I hear the Eunhae Merchant Group won the silk delivery contract. And their representative is Young Master Eun Seo-ho, your son's benefactor?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Then go congratulate him."
The emperor's intent was clear: meet and convey congratulations.
So he'd arranged via Eun Seo-ho's cousin.
Initially pleased, he'd been a tad disappointed when Eun Seo-ho immediately mentioned a request upon hearing of his new post.
Merchants will be merchants, he'd thought.
He'd planned to oblige moderately for his son's sake, or politely decline excess.
But he'd been dead wrong.
Eun Seo-ho's request wasn't self-serving.
It was to stockpile grain against famine.
What a gentleman! Young Master Eun Seo-ho truly is one!
He felt ashamed for misunderstanding.
A prophetic dream, though…
Others might scoff, but he had no choice but to believe.
Otherwise, how could Eun Seo-ho have appeared so timely to save everyone from Dongjeong Lake?
Back at the palace, Hwang Bon-ji requested an audience.
"You've met Young Master Eun Seo-ho?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He reported the details, then hesitated before adding,
"And at the end, Young Master Eun Seo-ho made an odd request."
"Odd request? What was it?"
"Well…"
Hwang Bon-ji relayed Eun Seo-ho's words.
The emperor nodded slowly.
"Severe famine from next year, based on a prophetic dream… He knew it'd reach my ears through you, yet said it anyway—must be confident."
"He said the prophetic dream let him save my son."
"Then why not tell me directly…"
Hwang Bon-ji ventured carefully,
"Perhaps, having just won the silk contract, he's mindful of others' eyes."
"Maybe. We'll go with that."
The emperor nodded, grumbling inwardly.
Sharp as ever. If he'd told me himself, I'd have tasked him directly.
But routing it through another meant he had to assign someone else.
Couldn't act on a "prophetic dream" alone.
Digging through palace records should yield evidence.
The emperor trusted Eun Seo-ho's words quite a bit.
He could deploy the princesses for manpower.
If he played the "pity poor Eun Seo-ho" card right, their fondness would still hold sway.
The next day, we prepared to head to Hubei Province.
I bid farewell to Aunt and Seon-mi.
While Aunt said goodbye to the other managers, Uncle approached and whispered,
"I've handled that servant watching you."
I'd mentioned it to him briefly.
I dipped my head slightly, and Uncle's expression softened as he greeted me.
"Travel safely. We'll meet again soon—no need for drawn-out farewells."
"Yes. Take care."
And so we left Beijing for Hubei Province.
Baekcheon Merchant Group.
Group Leader Namgung Gang listened to the report on the imperial silk contest.
"So Eunhae won in the end… And we're under investigation for bribing palace maids? You idiots!"
He berated Namgung Bo, who'd led the group.
"Botching it so badly we face palace scrutiny! What a disgrace!"
"What should we do? He's family—should we bail him out…?"
Namgung Gang pondered briefly.
"One arm severed?"
"Yes, his right arm… He's in poor shape from the shock."
Namgung Gang assessed swiftly.
One misstep, and Baekcheon itself would draw suspicion, irking the higher-ups.
He decided: cut the tail.
"This was all that fool Bo's solo act. Baekcheon knew nothing."
"U-understood."
"That aside… Eunhae Merchant Group."
Just a few years ago, they were at the bottom of the top hundred; now, solidly mid-tier.
Remarkable growth.
He recalled Eun Seo-ho from the recent banquet.
Just a handsome youth then…
I'll keep a close eye from now on.
Finally, home.
"Welcome back!"
"I'm home."
"Great work on the contest."
Father greeted me with a smile. Jeong-ho hyung's eyes reddened with emotion.
"Truly, thank you."
"What, this is just basics."
"Haha, right."
"That look on your face—Gun-hyuk and Bo-yeon should see it."
The day Eunhae's victory was confirmed, I'd sent word to Father via express pigeon.
I wanted the family to hear the good news fast.
Worth the silver for the bird.
To commend the group's efforts, Grandfather emerged too.
As Grandfather, Father, and Jeong-ho hyung encouraged the managers and members, I approached Mother and Sister-in-law.
"Your son is home."
"You worked hard."
"Thank you so much, Young Master. He was overjoyed at the news."
"I was thrilled too."
"Tired? Go rest inside."
"Yes."
I thanked Song the leader who'd traveled with us, then headed to my quarters.
This cozy scent—nothing beats home.
A sudden thought: Where's Jin-ho hyung? Must be swamped.